tracteurtom

The shop will (should) have a chart on display showing you whats what.  If not, go elsewhere !  Its getting a bit late for planting, so get on with it NOW!!  Just sprayed mine this morning for mildew and doryphore.  I've given up trying to be green, its doesnt work (or more likely the effort is not worth the finished product !).  Why is it, that whenever I get the sprays out it rains ?  The joys of growing your own veg !

Minis have quite a following in France so its worth a look at the magazines.  You might just hit lucky.

I like Husky stuff (cant be ar*ed reading your links though).  But, be aware that as Husky is now part of the Electrolux group , it may just be a Husky badge on some other 2nd rate product.  Check it out before buying.  Also, can you get the parts easily ? Recommend you go to a local garden machinery / tractor shop and see whats on offer (loads in Limoges !!).  If I was with you, you would be looking at the best - Stihl and a pro model (FS300 and up) at that.  Nothing comes close, just make sure the shop you buy from stocks all the parts, usually not an issue for a Stihl dealership.  

Slug pub, the things you folks spend your money on !!  Just use a glass jar, sink it 10 cms or so in the ground leaving 1 cm above ground and fill with beer.  The only cost is the beer and in France its cheaper than Cola so its not too bad ! Re the nut shells etc, make sure they are clean of any nut remains or otherwise you'll have a vermin problem. Also, consider doing a night prowl.  Fix a spike (thin knitting needle ?) to a stick and with that in one hand and a torch in the other, you can pick yourself 100s of slugs in a very short time.  Then just put them in some salt. Also, rotavating the ground helps as it kills many slugs and also destroys their eggs. Re the import of nematodes.  I'd be VERY wary of adding a none-native creature to my garden.  I know gardening it a fight with the bugs and diseases, but I can only think that adding another species is just asking for trouble, in years to come.  Also read that the companies selling these bugs are bogus as many do not hatch !  I think it was a Which Report ?

Have a poke around in your compost heap, if you've set it up right, it should be full of verre de terre !

Walnut shells (probably any nut shells); egg shells and I've recently read that wood chippings / saw dust works but I'm sceptical on that one. Nematodes are worms BTW.  Make sure your dog is up to date on its worming regime. Keep a freindly toad and chickens.  But I suspect the chickens will also eat your plants !!!! Why dont you just keep the dog of the patch ?  Much easier !!!  Cant believe you think £12 is a good deal for some worms ! Interesting pdf RH.  I suspect if someone did one of those for humans it would say the same  LOL!!!  I hate Brocolli, it should be banned and now its official, its toxic - brilliant  !  No mention of alcohol or cannabis or tobacco so that must be OK for dogs then ?  [:D]

[quote user="Clair"]The thread is running very close to being removed. Please do not advertise or post your products or services on the message boards. Forum moderators [/quote] Why is that ?  Rules of the dictators ([:P]) no doubt.  A For-Sale section would be a big plus to this Forum.  All other Forums I use have a For-Sale section.  I for one could be interested in this chimney.  Email me the details OP, tout-de-suite before the Police find out !!!!

LL, have a word with your Vet, they will put you right on a worming / vermifuge regime.  Generally, as soon as you let the chicks out on to grass they should be wormed.   But, consider not worming them as hens are quite robust creatures.  Once you start worming, you will need to keep up the regime and this is a problem with layers due to the withdrawal period of several days (7-10 I think).  How do you manage that with 10 ++++ hens ?  I dont worm and have found no problems.  This does not apply to other birds, turkeys particularly are VERY sensitve to one type of common worm that results in death.  I worm the Turkeys once every 2 weeks !!!

Well. I'll be, Google list 37000 entries for "there's a hole in my bucket"  !!! There's a Hole in the Bucket Written By: Unknown Copyright Unknown   There's a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, dear Liza There's a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, there's a hole. Then fix it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry Then fix it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, fix it. With what shall I fix it, Dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I fix it, Dear Liza, with what? With a straw, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry With a straw, dear Henry, Dear Henry, with a straw. But the straw is too long, Dear Liza, dear Liza But the straw is too long, Dear Liza, too long Then cut it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry Then cut it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, cut it. With what shall I cut it, Dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I cut it, Dear Liza, with what? With an axe, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry With an axe, dear Henry, Dear Henry, an axe. The axe is too dull, Dear Liza, dear Liza The axe is too dull, Dear Liza, too dull Then sharpen it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry Then sharpen it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, sharpen it. With what shall I sharpen it, Dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I sharpen it, Dear Liza, with what? With a stone, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry With a stone, dear Henry, Dear Henry, a stone. The stone is too dry, Dear Liza, dear Liza The stone is too dry, Dear Liza, too dry Then wet it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry Then wet it, dear Henry, Dear Henry, wet it. With what shall I wet it, Dear Liza, dear Liza? With what shall I wet it, Dear Liza, with what? With water, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry With water, dear Henry, Dear Henry, with water. How shall I get it, Dear Liza, dear Liza, How shall I get it, Dear Liza, how shall I? In the bucket, dear Henry, Dear Henry, dear Henry In the bucket, dear Henry, Dear Henry, in the bucket. There's a hole in the bucket.

Angela, You don't know the lines to "there's a hole in my bucket" by any chance do you ?? I get to "with what shall I fix it dear Liza dear liza" but the rest escapes me ! Sorry to hijack your thread, but that song has haunted me for years !!! Maybe I should Google it !! Thanks

I thought Orange and FT were one of the same now ??? If you go with an Orange mobile, check coverage before you commit, as its sketchy at the best of times !!  SFR seem to offer the best coverage, again check your area before commiting.

Ha yes, the 0.34 c / min Customer Service line.  Thats one of the reasons I ditched AOL, along with the intermittant service and of course that browser that AOL insist on you using..  I didn't know Alice was free (so to speak !).   Thanks for the info.

Martin, May I ask what your problems were with CI  ? I use them, and have no complaints so far.  I used AOL for a while but got fed up with the crap service and moved to CI after a battle with wanadoo.  Since CI merger with Neuf and AOL they must be one of the biggest ISPs in France ?  Maybe thats my complaint with  CI, they now own dog poo AOL !!!

The problem with Clubs is that the car owners have inflated ideas of what their pride and joys are worth.  I suggest looking in the local freeby papers, there's always something of interest there. Or ebay.fr.  But don't get carried away without looking at the car first !

[quote user="NormanH"] It might be different in the middle of the country. [/quote] Absolutely.  Were's the profit in installaing 10s of 1000s euros worth of infrastruture for a handful of customers.  I struggle to get dial-up working most of the time, broadband is just a dream !

Yes its very sad what people - townies mostly - do with land.  Taking the land out of the farming community just because they have the wealth to do so, then do nothing with it.  Keeping a pony for the kids !!  At least in France there is SAFER that gives the local farmers the option to buy first, but its - as always - down to money. You might want to check the hypen in "up-my wife"   !!!!!!!!!!!  Whats daisys doing there ? [:D]

LOL, I must have touched a nerve then !!

Set it so that when you let go of the handles the thing is balanced - the strap has a number of holes it can clip to on the body of the strimmer, to acheive this.  Set the harness so that the strimmer hangs from your hip and the position the handles forwards / backwardss so that your arms are comfortable, bent at the elbows.  Much easy to do than write about!  Check the instructions (doh !).  Then you'll be able to wag it around with very little effort and look the pro !.  This of course assumes you have a cycle handle style strimmer, if you bought one of the other styles, then tuff [6] Always always always wear eye protection, its not a joke.

Bang on mods, I thought that post was a joke, asking the same price as new for something 2nd hand - cheek of it, but very french  !! 

Yep, we've had them here for quite a few weeks now.  Brilliant !

Eek, nightmare, don't you just hate neighbours ! So, want exactly is the problem for you ?  Just don't like the idea of being someone's waste sink or is this causiing your ground to be flooded ?  Why not install a 1m3 storage tank on the drain and save the water for the garden in the summer ?  The neighbour will soon be chopping you off and storing the water for their own use if we get a dry summer.  Are you sure that the land its drains onto is yours and not theirs ?  Boundaries along  property walls are not always obvious.  Re the field and swimming pool, why object, surely its good for the field ?  But, I guess the real reason is that its done without agreement and I also guess this is another one of the those holiday homes ?  As I've said before, if you don't live in the house full time, you are in a very weak position to start complaining.  One thing's for sure, you need to talk with your neighbour and not folks on the Forum ! You could dig a moat and start a war [:D]

[quote user="Rob Roy"]This discussion has brought back memories of more or less yearly trips taking my husband off to A & E to be treated for 'arc eye' - he was a panel beater in the days when cars were build properly and not just bolted together! [:)][/quote] I think you'll find more welds in "todays" cars than bolts ! Pierre, dont forget to keep them rods dry, any damp and they are scrap.

Jeese, touchy buggers today arn't we !  It'll be the depression over France this week, done nowt but rain for days [:'(].  Never mind, due some sunshine at the weekend, that should cheer us all up !  You'll quickly learn Margaret to tread carefully on this Forum [;-)] Now back to the lawn.  How big is it ?  Anything more than  a few 100 m2 is going to cost a fortune to treat with what ever chemical you chose to use and will need some form of machine to distribute it properly.  I think its very english having a perfectly manicured lawn, why bother ?   Enjoy the garden  for its size, you dont have to worry about every plant and weed, because your plot as a natural beauty from its size, not a forced titmarsh thing in a tiny space overlooked by every neighbour !  I always think when I see a perfect lawn  that the owner has nothing else to do, just check out their trees, all perfectly pruned  !

Well Magaret with that atitude what do you expect !! There's no quick fix, dig it up and start again if you truly want rid.!  My Grandfather used to go around with a knive cutting out pesty weeds (buttercup is by far the worst). But that was with lawns of a few 100 m2, try that with anything approaching 1000m2 and you'll soon give up. But, easiest is just keep it mowed, once per week in the growing season.  Then harrow and reseed in the spring and autumn.  Thick grass will soon be back ! If you have space for sheep, that suggestion is a very good one, they keep a nice tight crop of the grass without tearing it.  Then you can stock the freezer come winter.

Its what you are prepared to pay.  If the plot is next to your house its worth an awful lot more to you than a plot 2 kms away.  Also, don't forget for any plot over 5000 m2 SAFER has to be involved and the land will be offered to the local farmers at the price you have agreed with the vendor.  The farmers have first shout.  So if you are paying a pitance for a nice bit of grazing land, you could find yourself out of the deal.  But its always worth a haggle !  Dont forget fencing, if the plot is already closed in then can be worth a few k €.